Congress could cut food-stamp assistance further

Local House Republicans say their proposal on the food stamp program reduces fraud and abuse in the program without denying benefits for those in need. Democrats say the proposal cruelly cuts needed benefits for seniors and children.

On top of the cut this month in food stamp benefits, House Republicans are negotiating a new farm bill with Senate Democrats that could lead to further cuts to the food stamp program, The Associated Press has reported.

The program is officially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Republicans who control the U.S. House want to cut about $3.9 billion a year for 10 years from the approximately $80 billion-a-year program, the AP says.

Much of the savings would come from modifying the formula used to calculate benefits and tightening eligibility requirements. More recipients would be subject to work requirements and time limits, making nearly 3 million people ineligible for benefits, the Congressional Budget Office said. About 850,000 households would lose an average of about $90 in benefits a month.

While the expiration of a provision in the 2009 Recovery Act that temporarily boosted benefits led to this month's cut in food stamp benefits, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, said in a statement he believes the law was a "failed" policy of President Barack Obama that resulted in a weak economy and one of seven Americans being on food stamps.

Renacci said the only across-the-board reduction in food stamp benefits in the House Republican bill is a result of the expiration of increases in benefits averaging more than 15 percent under the 2009 law. He said the bill restores work requirements, eradicates rampant fraud and prevents "undocumented immigrants, major lottery winners, certain criminals and traditional college students" along with dead people from getting food stamp benefits.

"It will ensure that the benefits within the safety net program will be available to those who need them most," Renacci's statement said.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville, said eligible recipients who need the help will continue to get it.

"The reforms offered through the Farm Bill would not change the current qualifications for most Americans," he said in a statement. "This program should be for those who qualify and are in need of this assistance not those who are out to cheat the system."

DEMOCRATS' VIEW

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Warren, who represents Alliance, called cuts to the food stamp program "some of the most cruel, insensitive cuts I've seen in my time in Congress."

He said local unemployment and the poverty rate are still higher than they were before the recession and the time to consider cuts to food stamps is after the economy fully recovers.

"Many of these people are children. Many of these people are seniors," he said.

Ryan added that the cuts further restrict the poor's access to costly, more nutritious food. He predicts many recipients will develop conditions like diabetes, incurring higher costs for Medicaid and Medicare.

He said he favors work requirements that recipients can reasonably fulfill and programs that reduce people's dependence on government assistance by helping them get employment through retraining and education. But the poor "want a little bit of food for their kids while they're looking for work or getting retrained," Ryan said.

Page 2 of 2 - In a statement, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Avon, said, "This reduction in SNAP will harm everyone, including children, seniors, those with disabilities, working parents, and veterans. That is why it's essential that the House work with my fellow Senate conferees to pass a farm bill that would protect SNAP and its safeguards for our country's most vulnerable citizens."

The office of U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, did not respond to a request for comment.